Author's note: Hey everyone, FireSlash here and welcome to my brand new story, 'Unhinged.' A little about this story; Shuichi Saihara's personality has been altered in a way that makes him stand out compared to his normal incarnation. The story will evolve around this change, meaning things will be different this time around. Think of this as another 'Soldier of Hope.' As for pairings go, I definitely have an idea as to who I want to pair Shuichi with. I'm currently debating between three girls (they'll be obvious as you read this chapter). Let me know who you want me to pair him with among the three. Anyways, I hope you review and enjoy :-).
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Hey there, the name's Shuichi Saihara and I'm the hero of this fucked up story. Yeah, I can already tell what you're thinking; how the hell did we get lucky enough to have this unbelievably sexy beast as our main protagonist? Well I don't have the answers for you now, but I'll find them soon enough. I'm not known as the ultimate detective just because I can hold a magnifying glass. Moving on... while I'm sure you'd love to hear my alluring voice forever, I do believe we must part ways for now. After all, if I continued to speak, we would never get to the story. So sit back, relax, grab a date, and enjoy. Who knows... you might get some action if you show them this story.
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When Kaede Akamatsu fell out of the locker, she didn't expect to be inside a classroom. Then again, she never expected to fall out of a locker in the first place. Glancing all over her body, she was glad to see she wasn't harmed. Her skin was still as silky as ever and her blonde hair was not damaged. Her clothing was fine as well, though her purple skirt and pink vest were a bit dirty. However, she was sure she was missing a few of her hairpins which were shaped as musical notes, but that didn't matter right now.
"Where am I?" Kaede asked herself as she took a closer look at her surroundings. Yes, she was in a classroom, but it looked nothing like her high school. The white boards were all digital, the walls were painted in dark blue, and there were plants growing on the room's walls. It all looked as if it were part of a set made for a futuristic movie. "What's going on?"
After glancing around, Kaede closed her eyes as she attempted to recall the events which had occured before she was put into the locker. Unfortunatly, she couldn't remember anything except for two important details; her title and the fact she had been forcibly shoved into a van by several men.
"Let's see.. I'm the ultimate pianist, but what does that even mean? When did I even get such a title?" It was true Kaede was a gifted pianist who was relativley well known in Japan, but she didn't remember ever being called the ultimate pianist at any point of her life.
Unfortunatly, her thought process was soon interrupted when the locker next to her started shaking, a boy popping out of it a second later. The boy appeared to be about two inches taller than her and was wearing a thin black coat, black dress pants, and black sneakers. He also had a black cap on, but some of his dark blue hair could still be seen. In addition, it was tilted in such a way that it covered his eyes, preventing eye contact from being made.
As the boy began to stir awake, Kaede did what most individuals would do if they randomly woke up in an unknown classroom with a stranger; she screamed.
"Gaaaaah!"
Much to her surprise, the boy didn't scream back like most others would in such a crazy situation. Standing up in a flash, he instead covered his ears with his hands, putting them down once he saw Kaede had finished.
"You done?" The boy asked, rubbing his ears in irritation. "Damn, you scream loud and trust me, I've heard many screams throughout my life. I felt like my eardrums were going to explode."
"Sorry," Kaede replied, letting loose a sigh of relief. At least this boy wasn't emitting any hostility. "You surprised me. Um, who are you?"
"I'm glad you asked," the boy said, his mood quickly swapping from irritation to proudness. "I'm Shuichi Saihara, the world's best junior detective. I'm sure a pretty girl such as yourself has heard of me before."
"N-no, I can't say I have," Kaede said, flustered at the fact someone of the opposite gender called her pretty. Thankfully, she was quick to recompose herself. "I don't really follow the news, sorry."
"Meh, don't sweat it," Shuichi said, brushing off the feeling of disappointment boiling up in him. "Anyways, does the gorgeous lady have a name?"
"H-huh? Oh, I'm Kaede Akamatsu. I'm apparently the ultimate pianist, but I don't recall ever being given that title."
"Hmm…" Shuichi mumbled, rubbing his chin with his hand. "Akamatsu…Akamatsu... your name has a nice ring to it. Tell me something, has anyone ever told you that you have a beautiful name?"
Seeing Kaede shake her head, Shuichi moved on. "No? Well, you do, but that doesn't matter right now. To be honest, I'm more interested in our current situation. A lot of things just don't make any sense. For instance, like you, I have a title myself. I'm the 'ultimate detective' as you can probably tell by now, but I don't remember it ever being official. Let me ask, do you know why we're here?"
"No, I seem to have lost my memory," Kaede said, hanging her head in shame. "All I can remember is that I was forcefully shoved into a van by a group of men."
Seeing the distressed look on the girl's face, Shuichi gently lifted her head up by placing his hand on her left cheek. It was a gesture which caused Kaede to blush profusely, though to Shuichi, the notion seemed to be nothing significant.
"Don't be upset. I've seem to have lost my memory as well," Shuichi said as an attempt to comfort the pianist. He then moved his hand from her cheek and placed it back on his chin. "Perhaps our memory loss and talents are related to why we were kidnapped."
"Kidnapped? Now that I think about it, that's the only logical explanation for the van incident and as to why we're here. So what now? I don't know about you, but I plan on getting out of here. Who knows when our kidnappers will return."
"Yeah, I agree. Let's ditch while we can, but before we do, I have something important to take care of," Shuichi said, surprising Kaede. Why would he want to stay here any longer? "There might be innocent people here and I'd rather go to hell than leave without them."
"Shoot! I forgot about that," Kaede stated, realizing that there could be others who have been captured as well. However, who could blame her for forgetting? It wasn't everyday she was kidnapped and given amnesia. "Well, I'm all for helping them, but we've got to be careful."
Moving forward, Shuichi attempted to open the classroom door and was surprised when he was able to do so with ease.
'They didn't lock the door? Who the hell are we dealing with? What's their game?' the detective mentally asked himself. However, he simply shoved those thoughts to the back of his head. Right now, what matters the most is rescuing all the other captives, if any.
Glancing back at the pianist, the boy gave her a sly smile. "Don't worry, I've been through similar situations before. Well, I've never been a captive, but I still know enough about the art of escaping to get us out of here...hopefully."
Following the boy, Kaede could only give him an uneasy look. "Was that an attempt to encourage me? Because it pretty much did the opposite."
0000
"You know, I'm still a bit groggy, but even I know grass isn't supposed to grow inside buildings," Shuichi told Kaede. Upon exiting the classroom, the two were surprised to see that the interior of the school seemed to resemble some sort of ancient ruins. There were various stone pillars keeping the building from collapsing, the walls were made of what looked to be cobblestone, and there were grass and vines growing all over the place. If Shuichi and Kaede didn't know any better, they'd say the school has been abandoned for a while now. However, they knew there had to be other people around. After all, the point of taking hostages was to keep them alive until something happened. Abandoning them would be pointless. "Damn, it looks like we slept through a nuclear fallout or something."
"I agree that this place isn't pretty, but we shouldn't focus on that right now," Kaede told her companion. "We should be more focused on leaving."
Turning around, Kaede continued her search around the school, only to stop when Shuichi spoke.
"…You're afraid, aren't you?" Shuichi asked the girl. Looking at the detective, she was surprised to see his confident grin had been replaced with a blank, unreadable expression. It seemed almost as if he was analyzing her. "It's written all over your face."
Realizing she had to answer, she responded with a question of her own. "And you're not? We've been kidnapped, given amnesia, and placed into some random school. I don't know about you, but it's impossible for me not to be scared right now."
"Me? I'll have you know that I'm actually pretty fucking terrified myself," Shuichi told her, surprising her yet again. She honestly expected him to act like a tough guy and say 'no.' "But what type of detective would I be if I let my fear consume me? Also, the fact that the whole 'rescuing hostages' thing is familiar to me is helping me keep my cool as well, though I'll admit that having amnesia's kinda new and scary at the same time."
"Well, I can agree with you on the last part," Kaede said, a smile forming on her face. Shuichi's relaxed nature sure was helping the pianist stay calm. However, the fact he's been through other escape missions was making her a bit uneasy though. She had no idea why it bothered her so much; perhaps it made him a little more shady in her eyes?
'Wait, why does Saihara have experience with rescuing hostages? I thought detectives were the ones who find the hostages, not the ones who physically go in and help them...'
"You know, I'm starting to think that there's no one else here besides a few other captives and us," Shuichi informed Kaede, snapping her back to reality.
"Really? What makes you say that?"
"Well Akamatsu, there doesn't seem to be a lot of activity going on other than the two of us walking and talking. By now, we should have had at least a few close calls with the guards or something. Also, the ground lacks footprints of any kind. Actually, there are a few, but they seem to be made by people our age. If I remember correctly, our kidnappers were adult men, meaning these belong to the other captives."
"So what you're saying is we can relax a bit, right?" Kaede asked the boy, wanting to know if she understood him correctly.
Shooting her a grin, Shuichi nodded. "Yep. But we should still be careful. I may be the 'ultimate detective,' but I could still be wrong. Trust me, it's happened before."
With Shuichi taking the lead, the two began tip-toeing around the school, looking for their fellow captives.
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"Welp, seems like there's no one on this floor," Shuichi said once he and Kaede had finished exploring the second floor. Surprisingly, there were very few rooms on the floor, the only objects of interest were two bathrooms and a room with piano sticker on its door. There were also two staircases, one leading downwards while one led upwards, but the latter was blocked by a steel gate. In addition, the door with the piano sticker was locked. Both teens had attempted to budge the door open, but to no avail. "Well, at least, except for her."
The detective then pointed to a tall, blue haired girl, someone Kaede didn't realize was here until Shuichi pointed out her existence. The girl was a light skinned individual who was wearing a knee length pleated skirt which was adorned with six white buttons on her waist, an orange bow, black socks ending under the knee, and grey shoes. In addition, she had a blazer on which also had white buttons. Lastly, her skirt seemed to be held up by a pair of suspenders.
"Hey, before we begin searching for way out of here, we should take some time to investigate the school," Shuichi told his partner, confusing her.
"What? Why? Shouldn't we be trying to leave this place as soon as we can?"
"Of course, but look around. There's no one else here besides us and the other captives. And even if we do escape, what if our captors try to kidnap us again? We need to know what we're up against, and the only way to do so is if we snoop around for a bit. Speaking of which, we should start by speak to that girl over there. She might know something we don't."
Glancing at the girl, Kaede realized that Shuichi was right. If they truly wanted to leave this school, then they'll need answers. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We need to be prepared if they do come back. Let's go question her."
Walking up to the girl, Kaede noticed that the girl was dozing off, almost as if she wasn't aware of her status as a captive.
"Hey there, do you mind if we ask you some questions?" Kaede asked the girl as she walked up to her. However, the girl just continued to stare into space, ignoring Kaede. Realizing that she might respond to physical confrontation, Kaede proceeded to poke the girl's cheek, only for that to accomplish nothing as well.
"I'm starting to think she's just a life sized mannequin," Kaede grumbled to Shuichi, causing him to laugh. However, despite the amount of times she ignored any sort of social interaction with Kaede, the boy didn't seem to be deterred from speaking to the mysterious girl like the pianist was.
"Seems like we have a drifter," Shuichi whispered to his companion. "Don't worry, I know how to deal with people like her."
Stepping forward, Shuichi gave Kaede a confident smirk before cupping his mouth with his hands. "Yo sweetheart! I think your skirt's coming loose. I can already see your panties."
"W-what?" The girl asked in a soft yet worried voice. She then looked down at her waist, only to notice that her skirt was perfectly fine, which in turn caused her to pout. "Hey, you tricked me."
"Sorry sweetie, but my cute acquaintance here has some questions she wants to ask you, but you seem to be ignoring her."
Getting over her initial shock after processing what Shuichi had just done, Kaede spoke up. "Yeah, I do. First off, why did you ignore me when I tried to get your attention the first time?"
"Oh, it's because I didn't want to talk," the girl casually replied, causing Kaede to frown at her.
"Isn't that a bit rude?"
"Isn't it rude to talk to someone when they don't want to be bothered?"
"I have an idea, maybe next time you should tell them to fuck off or something if you really don't want to be bothered," Shuichi stated. "It's surprisingly less rude than ignoring someone, not to mention more effective."
"Really? I guess I'll try that next time."
"Please don't," Kaede begged before realizing that she still had a job to do. "But since I have your attention now, can you tell me what you remember about being kidnapped and brought to this school?"
"Sure. Um, I don't remember much except that I was thrown into some sort of car by these strange men. For some reason, I can't seem to remember their faces. Sorry."
Upon hearing this, Kaede frowned. "Oh, it's ok. We don't really remember how we got here either. Do you remember when you got your title? Wait, what is your ultimate talent? In fact, what's your name?"
"My name? Well, I'm Tsumugi Shirogane, the ultimate cosplayer. While I love making costumes, I don't like wearing them. I only do so when a fan base I'm apart of isn't receiving enough recognition. I'm pretty famous, but I don't remember ever being called an ultimate."
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Kaede said with a smile. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist."
"And I'm Shuichi Saihara, the best detective you'll ever meet," Shuichi said.
"Oh, well it's nice to meet you. Um, is there anything else you want to ask me?"
"No, I think we've covered everything," Kaede told her. "Thank you for your time Shirogane."
"No problem," Tsumugi replied, only to go back into dreamland a second later.
"Wow, that girl sure is something," Kaede stated before focusing on his companion. "Should we head downstairs now?"
"I don't see why not," Shuichi answered. "There's nothing else for us to do up here anyways, unless you want to start tearing this place apart for clues. For now, I think we should just find everyone and ask them what they know first before we do any hardcore investigating."
"Alright, I'm going to trust that you know what you're doing."
The two then made their way to the unlocked staircase, curious to see who else they'll meet.
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"…Have any idea about what's going on?" Shuichi asked his companion.
Looking at the scene, Kaede could only shake her head. "I have no idea…"
After making their way to the first floor, the two decided to investigate a nearby classroom first, only to be greeted with the bizarre scene of two boys running around, one clearly chasing the other. The chaser was a short, light skinned individual with purple hair that reached down to his shoulders. He was currently wearing a white suit with multiple straps wrapped around his arms and legs. In addition, he had a black and white checker patterned scarf wrapped around his neck.
The boy being chased was slightly taller than his companion. He had silver hair and a boomerang shaped ahoge on the center of his head. However, that wasn't even the strangest thing about him. Upon closer inspection, the two realized he was a robot, for his body was made entirely out of metal and his eyes appeared to be two small screens.
"Please leave me alone," the robot begged the boy. However, this only encouraged his pursuer to continue the chase.
"Oh come on. I'm just asking you some questions. Please stay still.~"
"Uh, are we interrupting something important here?" Kaede asked, causing the two boys to turn towards the pair. Letting out a sigh of relief, the robot responded while the other boy simply glared at the pianist for ruining his fun.
"Definitely not. Oruma here was just asking me a few… rather disturbing questions about my status as a robot. I see you're a bit confused, so allow me to introduce myself. I am K1-B0, the ultimate robot. However, please just call me Keebo. I am the finest creation of Professor Idabashi, the leading authority in the field of robotics. The professor has raised me as if I was his own child, helping my AI develop from an infant mindset to that of an adolescent. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Well, that's certainly interesting," Kaede said, giving the robot a smile. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist."
"And I'm Shuichi Saihara, the greatest detective to have ever lived," the detective introduced himself before turning to the other boy. "And who are you?"
"Me? Are you sure you want to know?" The boy playfully asked. "I'm Kokichi Oruma, the ultimate supreme leader. I pretty much own an evil secret organization with over ten-thousand members. What's the name of the group you ask? Well, I can't tell you that silly. Otherwise it would ruin the whole purpose of the society being a secret.~"
Upon hearing this, Shuichi and Kaede briefly glanced at one another, wondering if Kokichi was telling the truth. To Kaede, his talent seemed a bit too farfetched to actually be true. As for Shuichi, while he also doubted the truthfulness of Kokichi's story, he made a mental note to keep an eye on the shorter boy. If he so happened to be telling the truth, then Kokichi might actually prove to be a problem in the future.
'If he's claiming such a bizarre thing so freely, then he might actually be the villain he says he is. I guess I'll have to wait a bit before I can officially add him to 'the list.' Yet, I've never heard of such a group before, so what he's saying is most likely just some random bullshit. Meh, I could care less about him right now. After all, our current situation needs way more attention right now than some lying gremlin...'
Soon realizing that the two boys could have some valuable information about their predicament, Shuichi cleared his throat before he started to do his job as a detective. "Do you two mind if I ask you a few questions?"
Thankfully, the boys in question seemed willing to cooperate with the young detective, allowing themselves to be interviewed.
"Of course not, as long as they're appropriate in nature."
"Eh, I could care less."
"Good. First off, do any of you remember anything about how you arrived here?"
Putting his hand on his chin, K1-B0 began to think, only to shake his head a second later. "I am unable to accurately recall specific details about our sudden kidnapping, sorry. However, I do remember being thrown into a van by some shady individuals."
"Really? The same thing happened to us," Kaede informed the robot, Shuichi nodding in conformation. The detective then set his sights on the supposed 'supreme overlord.'
"I'm guessing the same thing also happened to you?"
Kokichi's eyes began sparkling in response. "Wow! How did you know? You must actually be as good as you say you are …"
"Don't fucking sass me boy," Shuichi growled, not liking the fact that Kokichi was mocking him. "Er, let's just move on. Second question, were you ever referenced by your ultimate title at any point of your lives before today?"
"I can't say I have."
"I have, but only by my underlings of course."
"Well, it looks like they're just as lost as us," Kaede said once Shuichi finished his game of twenty questions, children's addition.
"It seems like you're right. I guess we'll just have to question someone else and hope they have some answers," Shuichi replied before turning towards the two boys. "Thanks for allowing me to waste some of your time, but it looks like it's time for me to harass someone else now. I'll let you know if something important comes up. See ya!"
As the detective and pianist began to leave, Kokichi immediately gripped their wrists, grabbing their attention. "Wait! There's still one question that needs to be answered."
"Huh, what is it?" Kaede asked. Turning to K1-B0, the supreme overlord gave him a sinister stare.
"Do robots have dicks?"
"Really, you're wasting our time on that?"
"Now Akamatsu, believe it or not, this is actually an important question," Shuichi told her, causing the pianist's mouth to drop. Was he really supporting such childish antics? "Granted, it's completely unrelated to our actual problem, but c'mon, aren't you at least a bit curious?"
"Yeah, I'll pass. Just look how uncomfortable you're making Keebo."
Looking at the robot, everyone could tell he was mildly disturbed. "W-why would you ask such a thing?"
"'Cause Astro Boy, I need to know how far science has truly advanced and what better time to find out than now. I mean, I am speaking to the ultimate robot after all. Now tell me, are there any female robots? Do they vibrate? Please tell me vibrating robot girls exist."
"And this is where I step in and end the conversation," Kaede stated, grabbing Shuichi's wrist and leading him towards the door. Embarrassed, Kaede couldn't even look him in the eyes. Well, it was more like she couldn't look at his face seeing as his cap was still preventing anyone from making eye contact with him.
"What? I have needs you know," the detective informed her in a mockingly sheepish voice. This only caused the girl to try to shove him out of the room faster.
"Don't worry Saihara, I'll try to get an answer to your question," Kokichi called out to Shuichi before he could fully exit the room. "Nishishishi,~ I have to admit that I'm curious as well."
In response, Shuichi shot the two one of his signature smirks. "Thanks. Since the lovely lady here currently desires my company, I'll leave you alone for now Keebo. But don't think this is over, because trust me, I will get an answer out of you for I am the ultimate detective, and as such, a master of interrogation. I'll see you soon.~"
Watching Shuichi and Kaede leave the door while simultaneously noticing the hungry expression Kokichi was giving him, K1-B0 took a step back in fear. "What did I do to deserve this?!"
0000
Exiting the classroom, the two acquaintances attempted to continue their investigation, only to hit a road block a few seconds later. Separating them from the rest of the hallway was an iron gate similar to the one blocking the staircase leading to the third floor. This reasonably began to discourage Kaede a bit.
"Another one? Are we seriously trapped right now?"
Glancing at the gate, Shuichi noticed that it looked a bit different than the other gates they've encountered. Not only does it look a bit more rusty, but it seemed to have been recently used judging by some skid-marks on the ground. Walking up to it, the detective began gripping the part of the gate where the skid-marks began before yanking it open.
"Ta-da!" Shuichi said as he outlined the opened gate with some jazz hands. "Now we can get through."
"…ok then," Kaede said before the two walked ahead. Looking around, the two soon found themselves in what appeared to be the school main entrance. However, what really caught their attention was the tall boy standing in front of the school's main door. The boy was a tall and slim individual who had rather pale skin and long blackish blue hair. His attire currently consisted dark green military-style uniform, matching knee-high black boots, a dark green cap, and a black mask covering the bottom portion of his face. As the two acquaintances moved closer to him, they noticed that his eyes were closed, signaling that he was deep in thought.
"So Kaede, want to do the honors?" Shuichi asked the girl. "You're quite good at introducing us."
"Sure," Kaede responded as she approached the boy. She then tapped the boy on the shoulder, introducing herself once he turned around.
"Hey, sorry to bother you but I wanted to introduce myself," Kaede told him, only to get no response from the boy. However, the fact his eyes seemed to be analyzing her was enough to tell Kaede that he was listening. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist. Next to me is Shuichi Saihara."
Shuichi lazily waved at the boy. "Sup. Mind if we ask you some questions?"
"…Not at all," the boy softly replied, creeping out the two investigators.
"Alright then…first question; who the hell are you?"
Hugging himself, the boy began to calmly introduce himself. "You wonder, 'Who is this?' Yes... I shall make that clear first. My name is Korekiyo Shinguji... and I am called the Ultimate Anthropologist."
"Alrighty then…" Shuichi shivered. This guy was seriously starting to creep him out. Looking at Kaede, he could see he wasn't alone. However, he still had a job to do, meaning that he can't allow himself to be discouraged. "Second question, what the hell is an anthropologist?"
"The field of anthropology studies human customs legends, folk tales, songs, and much more," Korekiro informed them. "There may even be customs in your daily life, the origins of which you do not know. For example... certain aspects of birthday or new year celebrations. Anthropology sheds light on traditions and customs such as these through rigorous analysis. It is a study that examines the thought behind culture, faith, and customs."
"You know, that actually sounds pretty cool," Kaede replied once he finished his explanation. Upon listening to him speak about his passion, Kaede started to see him not as a creep, bit as an extremely intelligent individual.
Nodding his head, Korekiro began to smile at them, despite the fact his mouth was covered by his mask. "I appreciate the compliment. As someone who's dedicated their life to studying the evolution of humanity, I believe that human beings are creatures who possess infinite beauty. I find all aspects of humanity, even the ugly parts, to be beautiful. Our present situation is rather... intriguing. What beauty will I be able to witness here? Kehe... Kehehehe... People are wonderful..."
"…And now I'm back to being creeped out," Kaede whispered to Shuichi, who chucked before he continued to question the taller boy.
"You're definitely right in saying that our situation is unique. Would you happen to know anything about how you even go here."
"Hmm, let us see…I remember being shoved into a silver van by individuals I've never met. That is all I can recall at this moment."
"Thanks for your answer. Last question, did you try opening this door already?" Shuichi asked as he pointed towards the front door.
"Indeed I have…"
"Well? Can we leave?" Kaede asked, hope present in her. However, the boy only chucked before responding.
"You should find the answers to such questions on your own...The moment your hopes are shattered...That, too...may be beautiful..."
"Oh great, he's one of those people," Shuichi said to Kaede, rolling his eyes upon hearing the boy's answer. "Listen, before we should even bother checking to see if the door opens, I suggest we continue exploring the school. Remember, it's best to learn about our enemies before we even bother escaping."
"Yeah, you don't need to explain your reasons to me again," Kaede said with a smile before the two continued their investigation. However, Kaede was beginning to doubt that she was doing the right thing. After all, their captors could come back at any moment. Wouldn't it just be better to escape already?
"Not to intrude, but I'm here as well," another boy stated, startling Kaede and Shuichi. He was taller than Shuichi. His eyes were green and he has notably long, thick eyelashes. He was currently wearing a dark blue striped sweater, gray pants and slip-on shoes. "My name is Rantaro Amami. I can't remember my Ultimate talent at the moment... But I promise I'm not a bad guy. Nice to meet you. You don't need to introduce yourselves to me, I've overheard your conversation with Shinguji. My memories of how I got here are the same as his. I'd love to chat more, but I want to do some investigating myself. I'll see you later."
As he walked past the pair, all they could do was stare at him. He was certainly…strange.
"You know, that's the first time anyone's ever been able to sneak up on me," Shuichi said, the only thing he could say about the boy.
0000
After encountering Korekiro, the two teens eventually made their way to a small hallway with three doors. The first door had the image of a fork and a knife pasted on it, telling the two captives that the room was a cafeteria. The second door on the other hand had an image of a money bag, making the room's identity a mystery. Lastly, on the third door was an image of a cardboard box, implying that the room was some sort of storage facility. It should also be noted that there was another staircase in the mini hallway as well leading to the school's basement. Unlike the staircase leading to the third floor, this one was unlocked.
"So, which room do you want explore first Saihara?" Kaede asked the detective. Quickly glancing at the three doors, it didn't take long for Shuichi to make his decision.
"That one," Shuichi replied, pointing at the door with the moneybag image. "We already know what the other two rooms are, but this one's a mystery, even to me. It's obvious this room has something to do with money, but why the hell does a school need a room like this? Is it some sort of bank where students take out loans or something?"
"Probably, but we won't know until we go inside," Kaede said as she grabbed the doorknob. However, when she tried to twist it, it wouldn't budge. "Seriously? This has to be the third thing we've found that's locked."
Frowning, Shuichi took hold of the knob once Kaede finished trying. "Let me give this a shot."
*Rattle* *Rattle* *Rattle*
As hard as he tried, the boy couldn't get the door to budge. "Damnit! I guess we'll have to visit another place for now. How about the cafeteria? We can get something to eat while we investigate."
"You know what? Count me in. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty hungry myself."
0000
"…Okay, what did I just get myself into?" Kaede asked herself as she continued to watch the scene in front of her unfold. When the two entered the cafeteria, the first thing then noticed was that there were two other girls already occupying the area. The first girl had fair skin tone, sharp green eyes, and long black hair styled into two long pigtails. Her hair was being held by long white ribbons and a large green bow with a white floral pattern. She was currently wearing a blue school uniform top that stops above her bellybutton, a frilly blue skirt, white socks with a blue stripe that ends under the knee, and a pair of zōri. The second girl had pale skin, as well as chin-length red hair. She was currently wearing brown medieval boots with white ribbons tied around her ankles, dark brown tights, and a pleated bubble red skirt. She also had a black vest and a witch hat on. Compared to the girl next to her, she was quite short. Then again, neither of them were taller than Kaede to begin with.
All was calm until the girl with the ribbon on noticed Shuichi. Then, everything went to hell. Her face morphed from relaxed to shocked to anger before she leaped up from her seat and aggressively pointed a finger at the boy. "Oh no! What are YOU doing here?!"
Kaede, shocked at the hostility directed towards her ally, couldn't find the ability to speak. Shuichi however just continued to wear his dumb smirk. "Well, well, look who it is? How's it going Tenko? Still gorgeous I see. You know, it's great seeing a familiar face after waking up and realizing that you've been kidnapped. Doesn't it make you kind of relieved now that my fabulous self is here?"
"Don't call me by my first name," the girl snarled, hatred seeping through her voice. "We're not close and we won't ever be close. Understand?"
"Nope," Shuichi replied, his smile growing bigger. "We both know that's not true."
Looking back at the girl named Tenko, Kaede realized that she was doing everything she could to not pounce on the detective. Deciding to help the poor girl out, Kaede chose to speak up.
"Uh, Saihara, you know her?"
Turning his attention towards the pianist, Shuichi nodded. "Yep. I've known her for quite awhile now, though as you can tell, she likes to pretend that she hates me."
"Hatred is too weak of a word to describe how I really feel about you," Tenko growled.
"Anyways...Akamatsu, this is Tenko Chabashira. Tenko, this is Kaede Akamatsu. You two play nice now."
Kaede meekly waved at the girl. "Um, it's nice to meet you Chabashira. Do you have a talent? I happen to be the ultimate pianist."
To be honest, Kaede expected Tenko to be hostile to her as well seeing as she was currently hanging out with Shuichi. However, when the girl's eyes met hers, Tenko smiled. "I do actually. I'm the ultimate Aikido Master. Having trained with my master every since I was young, we've invented a new branch of Aikido called Neo-Aikido. I have to ask though, what's a nice girl like you doing with him? If it were any degenerate male I'd care less, but him? How could you stand being near this fiend for even a millisecond?"
"Degenerate male?" Kaede asked Shuichi.
"Yeah, Tenko here hates men with a burning passion. I so happen to be her favorite though."
"Stop calling me by my first name!" The martial artist told him for the second time. Kaede could only glare at him.
"Favorite boy, huh?" She sarcastically asked before choosing to ask him a legitimate question. "But seriously, why does she hate you so much?"
"That my dear friend is a story for another time."
"But believe me, I have my reasons," Tenko said as she continued to glare daggers at the detective, only for him to wink at her in return. However, before Tenko could do anything rash, the other girl in the room decided to make her presence known.
"Nyah, can you three please quiet down?" The girl groggily asked. "You're making it hard for me to concentrate on my 'find familiar' spell."
"And you are?" Shuichi questioned the girl.
"I'm Himiko Yumeno, the 'ultimate magician,'" the girl responded. "I prefer to be called the ultimate mage however since I know real magic."
"Uh, well, I guess that's nice to know," Kaede said, despite the fact magic doesn't exist. To be honest, after watching Tenko and Shuichi's interaction, she was far too tired to argue with a girl wearing a witch's hat about the existence of magic. It seems Shuichi noticed her tiredness, for he didn't bother to provoke the shorter girl either. "I'm not sure if you heard me introduce myself to Chabashira, but I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist. Next to me is the ultimate detective, Shuichi Saihara."
"Yo."
"It's nice to meet you, I guess," Himiko said before letting loose a loud sigh. "Man, introductions sure are a pain."
"Uh, ok then. I'll stop bothering you in a bit, but can I ask both of you a quick question?" Kaede asked. Much to her relief, the two girls were willing to comply, though Tenko was still glaring at Shuichi. "Do you guys remember anything about how you came here other than the fact several men threw you into a van?"
"Can't say I have," Tenko answered truthfully. Himiko nodded her head in agreement.
"Alright, thanks for your cooperation. I'm going to look for clues somewhere else, so I'll see you all later. Come on Saihara, let's go," Kaede said before hastily exiting the room, not wanting Shuichi to bother Tenko any further. Though the detective took off after her, he just had to make some sort of last minute remark.
"See you later Tenko. Hopefully our next meeting will take place in my room, if you know what I mean," the boy said with a wink. Rightfully so, the only response he got was the tossing of a chair at him by the martial artist. Thankfully, he was fast enough to dodge the projectile. "Still got that fiery temper of yours I see. I like it, but I get the hint. Ta-ta for now.~"
Once the two left the room, Tenko groaned before slamming her head on the table she was sitting at. "Why do I have to be stuck here with him among all people?"
Not wanting to provoke the martial artist even further than Shuichi already had, Himiko just kept her mouth shut.
0000
"Alright, we're about to search the storage facility next," Kaede told Shuichi. "But before we do, I need to know what are the chances of us running into someone else who hates you?"
"Unless we run into someone from the police force, then very low," Shuichi responded. "You'd be surprised by how many of them despise me. I guess it's 'cuz I can do their jobs better than they ever could. Actually, Chabashira'a the only person outside the police force I've ever interacted with that hates me. Then again, I don't really have any friends. I'm far too busy with my job to worry about something so small."
"…ok then, if you say so. Come on, let's just search this place already." Gripping the doorknob, Kaede swung open the door. Looking inside, Kaede and Shuichi both noticed that the storage room was organized quite nicely, with certain types of items separated from the others by using shelves. "Woah, this place is a goldmine of junk. Maybe we can use something here to escape. What do you think Saihara? Saihara?"
Turning her head towards the detective, she saw that he was currently looking at a girl who was browsing through one of the many boxes in the room. The girl was almost identical in height to Shuichi and had long strawberry blonde hair was well as two ahoges. Her skin was almost as light as Kaede's and her attire consisted of brown goggles with yellow accents on her head. She was also wearing a modified pink sailor school uniform, a matching skirt, white socks, and black high-heeled boots. Finally, her socks and skirt were linked by black straps that were connected by golden rings.
"Please tell me you're not checking her out," Kaede groaned in annoyance. The girl was seriously beginning to question why she was still even teaming up with Shuichi, only to constantly remember that he was the 'ultimate detective.' When he didn't reply, the pianist soon realized that he seemed to be tuning her out. A few seconds later, Shuichi stood up and walked towards the girl.
"No way. Miu fuckin' Iruma, is that you?" The boy asked, getting the attention of the mysterious girl. Despite the language used, Kaede was easily able to tell that Shuichi was very happy to see her for some reason.
'Perhaps she's his friend,' Kaede mentally thought to herself. Her suspicions were soon confirmed when the girl smiled back at the detective upon noticing his presence.
"Shuichi, is that you?" the girl named Miu asked. "Damn, am I glad to see your ass here. Where the hell are we and who the fuck did you anger this time?"
"Wow Miu, you wound me," Shuichi replied, placing a hand on his heart while pretending to be sad. "We been friends for thirteen years now and yet here you are, accusing me of getting us kidnapped. Shame on you."
"Well, I wouldn't be asking this if you didn't irritate every fucker you meet," Miu shot back, yet with no hostility.
"Aw, you know me so well Miu," Shuichi gushed. Miu continued to smile at her friend, only for it to turn into a frown upon noticing that Kaede was standing next to him.
"Uh, who the fuck is she?"
"Oh, where are my manners?" Shuichi rhetorically asked himself before clearing his throat. "Miu, this is Kaede Akamatsu, fellow hostage and the ultimate pianist. Akamatsu, it's best if I let Miu introduce herself. I won't be able to give her all the credit she deserves."
Being given the spotlight, Miu immediately introduced herself in a rather loud and vulgar way. "Listen up bitch, I'm the gorgeous girl genius whose good looks and golden brain will go down in history! I'm the one, the only, the legendary Ultimate Inventor herself - Miu Iruma!"
"Miu Iruma huh...can't say I've heard of you," Kaede replied, causing the girl to glare at her.
"You're shitting me, right? Fine then, maybe you'll recognize some of my products. Ever heard of 'Eye Drop Contacts?' You probably haven't, but it's best to start off small as they say."
"Eye drop contacts? Oh, I know those! Some of my friends use them."
"Really? I don't even know why those things are still popular. They're a fucking failure."
Kaede gave the girl a shocked look upon hearing this. "Failure? Why would you say that?"
"'Cuz I actually had to try on those," Miu replied before continuing to browse through the box she was holding. "For a genius like me, we shouldn't have to try to get far in life."
Giving the pianist a sheepish stare, Shuichi wrapped an arm around the both of them. "Miu certainly holds some strange values, don't you think?"
"I can see that," Kaede whispered to him before turning towards Miu. "Well, I guess it's nice to meet you Iruma, but can I ask what you're doing?"
"Huh, I'm trying to find some medicine so I can get high. It's times like now that you just need an escape from life."
"What?! Medicine shouldn't be like that," Kaede said. Much to her surprise, the inventor let loose a small 'eep' before hiding behind Saihara who had let go of them a few seconds ago.
"Shuichi, tiny tits over there is being mean to me. Do something," Miu whimpered.
"Tiny tits?!"
"Girls, both of you need to calm yourselves," Shuichi said. "I'm not going to lie, Akamatsu, is right, medicine isn't intended for that use. But hey, life would be boring if we followed the rules all the time. But enough of that, did you find anything yet? I could go for a nice acid trip right about now..."
"I haven't found anything yet, but you can beat your ass that I'm won't stop looking 'till I do."
"I can't believe what I'm watching," Kaede whispered to herself before finding the energy to speak to the inventor again. "Hey Iruma, do you remember anything about who might have kidnapped you other than the fact they were unidentifiable men?"
Looking down, Miu searched her memory bank to see if she could find something. Unfortunately, like everyone else, she couldn't remember a thing. "Fuck no, I can't remember shit."
"Oh, well that's unfortunate," Kaede said before looking at Shuichi. "Hey Saihara, do you want to continue exploring the school with me or would you rather stay with Iruma?"
Briefly looking at both girls, Shuichi turned his attention towards Miu. "Do you mind if I go with her? I'd love to stay and search for drugs with you, but duty calls. You can come if you want."
"Nah, I'm fine over here," Miu said, waving him off. However, hints of jealousy were present in her tone. "I've never been good with that detective shit you do, so go kick some ass for me, ok?"
Pulling his friend into a quick hug, Shuichi gave her a smile. Like the one he gave her before, this one was a genuine smile compared to the borderline cocky ones he usually throws around. "And this is why I love you so much. Stay out of trouble and let me know if you find something good. I'll see you later, alright?"
"Just go do your fucking job already," Miu told him before continuing her search for drugs. Shrugging, the detective followed the pianist out the door, ready to continue his own search for answers.
0000
Having explored the entire first floor, the two allies then chose to move their investigation to the school's basement, where they were presented with two doors. The first door had an image of a book on it, indicating that the room was a library. The room next door seemed to be quite the opposite of a library, having the image of a video game controller displayed on its door.
"Let me guess, you want to explore the game room, don't you?" Kaede asked as she watched Shuichi practically drool over the sight of a game room.
Flashing her a smile, Shuichi gave her a thumbs up. "It's only been a day and you already know me so well."
Rolling her eyes, Kaede grabbed the door's knob and pulled. Thankfully, the room wasn't locked, so they were able to enter. Upon doing so, they were greeted by the sight of a mini-arcade, filled with a very small selection of games and a minibar.
"Wow, if this was an actual school, I'd spend most of my time here," Shuichi said as he began to marvel at the sight in front of him. Kaede on the other wasn't really paying attention to the arcade. No, instead her eyes fell on an extremely short boy who was standing in the middle of the room. His eyes were completely black and he had visible blush marks on his cheeks. Adding to his strange appearance, he was currently black leather jacket, brown shoes, a metal cuff attached to his left leg, and a black and dark blue striped jumpsuit underneath. Lastly, he had a black hat on which contained two points and a picture of two blue tennis rackets on it.
"Hey there, I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist. What's your name?"
"…I was once Ryoma Hoshi, the man called the Ultimate Tennis Pro," the boy said in a deep voice. "But, that person no longer exists. I'm nothing more than his empty shell."
"Empty shell, what are you talking about?"
"Ryoma Hoshi, also known as 'Killer Tennis, was the greatest tennis player in Japan," Shuichi informed Kaede, the detective finally noticing the smaller boy. "He had a bright future ahead of him, but he threw it all away one day when he murdered an entire mafia organization. Last time I checked, he was supposed to be on death roll."
"Well? What do you think of the loser before you who used his talent to kill?" Ryoma asked once Shuichi finished telling the story. To be quite honest, Kaede was scared. She was standing in front of a murderer for crying out loud. But looking at the boy in front of her, she didn't see a cold hearted killer. No, instead she saw someone filled with regret.
"…I don't see a loser," Kaede told him. "I see someone who's atoning for their crimes. So keep your chin up and look forwards to the future."
"A future? I need a future anymore," Ryoma told her after listening to her speech. He then opened his mouth to speak, but instead he just shook his head. "No... it's nothing. It's not like me to talk so much. Anyways, I'm going to say this once, it's dangerous to just walk up to a killer like me."
With that being said, Ryoma turned his back towards the girl, signaling that he wanted to be left alone. Still needing to ask some questions for the investigation, Kaede was about to tap him on the shoulder again, only to stop when she felt Shuichi grab her wrist.
"Hey, do you mind waiting outside?" Shuichi asked the girl. "There's something I want to ask him…in private."
Giving him a confused glance, Kaede decided to grant him his wish, seeing as Ryoma was probably going to ignore her for a while. "Sure, just make it quick. I want to see what else is in this school."
With that, Kaede walked away, leaving the two boys alone.
"…Is there something you need from me?" Ryoma asked, his back still facing the taller boy. After a few moments of silence, Shuichi spoke up.
"What do you remember about being brought into this school?"
"Is that all? Well, I was on my way to school when I was ambushed by a group of men. I didn't even struggle when they attacked me. The next thing I know, I'm here."
"Thank you for your time," Shuichi said as he turned his back towards the tennis player. "…You know, society sees killing and committing murder as the same thing, yet they're really not. A person can still be called a hero even if they kill, but once they murder, then they become a villain. I want you to remember that…"
Shuichi then walked out of the room before Ryoma could even reply.
0000
"Maki Harukawa... Ultimate Child Caregiver. Surprised? I don't look like someone who'd like kids, do I? Well you'd be right. I don't like kids all that much. Kids are... weird. They come to me on their own. I'm not that good at taking care of them... I'm not that friendly, either... "
That was the greeting they got from the ultimate child caregiver when the two entered the library. Maki was a slim, light skinned girl with red piercing eyes and long, dark brown hair kept in pigtails held by two red scrunchies. She was currently a scarlet-colored sailor shirt accompanied by thigh-high socks of the same color, a black plaid skirt with a slight green tint, and brown ankle boots.
As for how the library looked, messy was too weak of of a word to describe the room. Books littered the top of the bookshelves and the floor. Even the books in the selves were horribly stacked and organized. Quite simply, it looked as if a hurricane passed through.
"Oh, uh, I'm the ultimate pianist, Kaede Akamatsu. You know, they say kids are very intuitive. If they like you that much... then they can probably tell how loving you really are, Harukawa!"
"They're just kids, they know little about anything," Maki told them. "Anyways, is there anything you want from me? Or are you just here to make small talk? I have better things to do…"
"Like trying to find your way out of here, right?" Shuichi asked before introducing himself. "Shuichi Saihara, ultimate detective. Can I ask you a question?"
"You can, but depending on the question, I might not answer."
"Good... how did you end up here?"
"…I was jumped by some strange men. The next thing I know, I'm here," Maki responded. Watching the two interact, Kaede felt like they were trying to analyze one another, similar to how two superheroes do so when they meet for the first time. "…For a detective, you certainly are clueless about our situation, why else would you need to question me?"
"Sorry sweetheart, I'm not a miracle worker," Shuichi retorted. "Before I can even draw any conclusions, I need part of the puzzle."
"…Fair point."
Not liking the tension building between them, Kaede decided now was the best time to leave. "Well, it looks like we're done here. Come on Saihara, let's go."
"Sure." With that, the two bid Maki farewell before heading upstairs.
0000
When the two tried to open the front door, they were surprised to see they were able to do so with ease. However, the surprise they felt upon doing so couldn't compare to the way the felt upon seeing the outside world.
"…What is going on?" Kaede asked after a few seconds of silence. Surrounding the entire school campus was a large glass dome. Taking some time to process what he was seeing, Shuichi answered.
"I have…no fucking idea."
"So, what now?"
"I guess we'll have to continue looking for hostages and ask them if they know anything. Let's start with that guy over there," Shuichi said before pointing to a tall and muscular individual with long brown hair. He had tan skin, green eyes, and small black glasses on his face. He was currently wearing brown school blazer and matching brown pants, a dark, lime-green tie, and was carrying a bug box strapped over his shoulder. Lastly, he was barefooted. As they got closer to him, the two allies soon discovered that the boy towered over them by almost a foot. This obviously intimidated them.
"Damn that's a big boy," Shuichi whistled. "I'm going to talk to him. If I don't make it back, tell Miu what happened."
Walking forwards, Shuichi tapped the boy's back. When he turned around, Shuichi began his introduction, hoping that the boy won't want to crush him. "Hey there big guy, I'm Shuichi Saihara and over there is Kaede Akamatsu. Do you mind if we ask you a quick question?"
"Oh! Sorry for scaring! Gonta scary-looking. Most people not wanna talk to Gonta when meeting for first time. So, like gentleman, Gonta say thank you! Thank you for talking to Gonta!" The boy said with a smile, noticing that his structure was scaring the two a bit. "Oh... right! Gonta need to make introduction! Ummm... Gonta's name is Gonta Gokuhara. Gonta's talent is Ultimate Entomologist. Gonta want to become gentleman! Becoming true gentleman Gonta's goal! Cuz of forest family, Gonta learn to speak bug and animal. As thanks Gonta wanna show forest family what great gentleman Gonta is!"
"Wow, he's just like a big teddy bear," Kaede whispered to Shuichi, the two no longer afraid of him. "Sorry for being afraid of you
"No, is okay. Gonta used to it. Gonta called scary since he was a kid," Gonta assured them.
"Can you really blame them?" Saihara asked. "Anyways, do you anything about how you got here?"
"Um, all Gonta knows is that he was hit with tiny dart before falling asleep. Sorry."
"It's fine big guy," Shuichi replied, patting the bug catcher's shoulder.
0000
It wasn't long after meeting Gonta that Kaede and Shuichi met another one of their fellow captives. The boy had slightly tanned skin as well as spiked purple hair that's grown out both at the top and bottom of his head. He also had a short goatee and was currently wearing an unbuttoned long sleeved dress shirt with a breast pocket, a white tee-shirt, purple pants, and light purple slippers. After Kaede and Shuichi introduced themselves to him, they were given probably the most enthusiastic introduction they've ever witnessed.
"I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Even crying children adore the Ultimate Astronaut! How about it!? I'm an astronaut! Isn't that cool!?"
"Gotta say, that's pretty kick ass," Shuichi told him. "Love your enthusiasm by the way. "
"Heh! Thanks man, not just anyone can get up there! I may be an astronaut, but... I'm actually still in training. But I'm the first teenager to ever pass the exam! I mean, normally you need a college degree to even take the exam, but I had a friend who was crafty, crafty enough to forge some stuff for me. I ended up getting caught. I was in pretty deep shit! But the people up top let me in, since I did so well on the exam."
"You forged your exam?!" Kaede asked, shocked. "That's incredibly illegal. you could've been arrested!"
"Sometimes you gotta be a little reckless to make your dreams a reality! No way can I wait till after college! I wanna get to space as fast as I can, ya feel me!"
"Definitely," Shuichi said with a smirk. "I've had to sacrifice many things just so I could become the man I am today."
"I mean, it's good to make sacrifices sometimes, but there's a fine line between sacrificing something and just being reckless."
"You're right, but what I did wasn't reckless!" Kaito explained. "It was the result of a man willing to do anything to accomplish his dreams."
"Just don't do anything crazy," Kaede informed him, only him to smirk at her.
"Don't worry, I'm a man first and an astronaut second!"
0000
After speaking with Kaito, the two teens began exploring the outside of the school. While doing so, Kaede and Shuichi discovered several facilities such as an indoor swimming pool, a dormitory, and a lab. However, all of them were locked excluding the dormitory, making that their next destination. When they entered, they noticed that the dormitory consisted of three floors. Nameplates were on each of the doors, but was was surprising was that the beamed on the plates were all of the captives in the school.
"You can't actually expect me to stay here," Kaede said in disbelief.
"I agree," Shuichi said as he looked at his nameplate.
"Excuse me, were you captured and brought here as well?" A tall, thin young woman with dull silver hair asked as she approached the group. The girl was currently wearing a maid outfit consisting of a black button up pinafore with a spiderweb motif, a white dress with a black collar, and a purple tie. She also had on black headband that is commonly worn by a maid, as well as black gloves with silver rings attached, black tights, and also black shoes with white laces and heels. "I am Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. Please let me know if you require my service."
"Hello Tojo, I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist and next to me is Shuichi Saihara, the ultimate detective. Nice to meet you," Kaede said.
"Kirumi Tojo, as in the maid that is able to complete any task given to her?" Shuichi asked. Kirumi nodded.
"Indeed, that is me. But you are exaggerating my capabilities. I will not complete any request that is asked of me. I once received a request to annihilate a rival nation, but as it was impossible, I rejected it."
"Uh, well, that's good to know," Kaede said. "Do you know anything about being kidnapped, that is, besides the fact they were men?"
"I do not," Kirumi informed them. "Sorry to disappoint you."
"Meh, it's fine," Shuichi replied. "Everyone we've spoken to can't remember anything either. But the question is, how did we manage to get amnesia? What do our captors want with a bunch of talented kids?"
"This is indeed disturbing," Kirumi said with a nod. "Whatever their reason is for kidnapping us, it's most likely a nefarious one…"
0000
Continuing their exploration, Kaede and Shuichi managed to encounter several other facilities, but due to the buildings' unique exterior design and the fact they were all locked, the two allies had no way of guessing what they were supposed to be. Near the end of the exploration however, they received some luck. Not only was their an alter there (which was sadly locked), but there was a short girl standing in front of the building. The girl had tan skin and round, blue eyes mimicking the color of the ocean. She was currently wearing a frilly bikini and white shoes. Draped over her body was a yellow smock. Finally, her hair was an extremely light shade of platinum blonde.
"Well, unless someone's hiding from us, she should be the last of the captives," Shuichi told Kaede. "Her clothing doesn't leave much to the imagination…"
"Stop being such a perv," Kaede commanded him, before making her way to the girl. "Hey there, I'm the ultimate pianist, Kaede Akamatsu. Next to me is Shuichi Saihara, the ultimate detective. It's nice to meet you."
"What's up good looking," Shuichi said, winking at the girl.
"Yah-hah! How are ya? My name is Angie Yonaga! I'm the Ultimate Artist!" The girl cheerfully introduced herself.
"Um, yeah…do you have any memories about your kidnapping?" Kaede asked, a bit thrown off by her happy-go-lucky attitude.
"Nyahahaha, are you worried?" Angie asked Kaede, her smile never falling. "Ya know, there's no reason to carry bad thoughts! You gotta live every day like it's bright, cheery, and fun!...So says Atua."
"Who now?" Shuichi asked.
"The god of my island, Atua, is always with me, speaking to me with his divine voice..."
Kaede gave her a look of confusion. "So, you're not from around here?"
"Nope! Speaking of which, would you like to begin receiving Atula's blessing? All it requires is a pint or two of your blood..."
"Uh…not really…" Kaede replied, causing Angie's smile to grow smaller. She then turned to Shuichi.
"How about you? Boys can also receive the good word of Atula."
"Yeah, how about no…" Shuichi stated before walking away from the strange girl, Kaede shortly following afterwards.
0000
"So, all we know is that everyone else here was ambushed as well, the school is surrounded by a glass dome, and everyone has an ultimate talent," Kaede said as she sulked. Taking a break from their investigation, the two teens were currently sitting on a bench as they starting going through everything they learned. "It's official, we have no idea what's going on."
"You're right," Shuichi said. "But that doesn't mean you can give up yet. All we need is to find more pieces of this huge puzzle and then we're home free. Trust me, even as the ultimate detective it still takes me a few days to solve huge cases."
"Who said I was giving up?" Kaede asked him as she stood up with confidence. "I'm not going to give up until we get out of here. I'd rather not have to wait a few days, but if that's what it takes, then I'm all for doing so. If we can unite everyone together, we'll be able to leave in no time! After all, we're all ultimates!"
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Shuichi mumbled. "It's never a good idea to trust someone so blindly."
Though Shuichi didn't intend for this to be heard, Kaede still managed to catch wind of what he said. She was about to retort, only for a to go off, which was then followed by an announcement.
*Ding* *dong* *dong* *ding*
"Testing! Testing! Can you hear me? Can you hear me?" A voice shouted from the various monitors located around the school. I know you're all confused, but could you all make your way to the gymnasium? Everything will make sense there. See you soon!"
"The gym…should we go?" Kaede asked the boy. "This could be a trap, but it can also be how we know what's really going on."
"…Go on ahead," Shuichi told her. "Everyone else will be there. I have something I need to do before I can even think of going. The gym is located on the first floor by the way."
"…alright. I'll wait for you outside the gym," Kaede said before hesitatingly making her way to the school's gymnasium. Shuichi only continued to sit around for a bit before eventually making his way inside the school.
0000
"Damn! It took you long enough to get here," Miu loudly informed the detective once he walked into the storage room. "What the hell were you doing, getting it on with that Akamatsu bitch?"
"Nah, I was just thinking," Shuichi replied. "Thanks for waiting for me."
"Of course dipshit. So, what now?"
"We both know the announcement is going to tell us that we're not going to be allowed to leave this place," Shuichi informed her.
"Yeah, no shit."
"But…they've made a huge mistake in kidnapping us together. With our gifts combined, we'll be able to get out of here with absolutely no problem. For now, we should head to the gym, but once that's over, let's immediately meet up again, preferably in one of our dorm rooms. We'll discuss why needs to be done there. Is that alright with you?"
"If it's you, then I'm perfectly fine with meeting you… alone," Miu said with a suggestive tone.
"Good," Shuichi said as the two friends left the storage room, soon making their way to the gym.
'Leave it to Miu to make everything sexual. Eh, that's what I love about her. However, the person behind the monitor shouldn't underestimate Miu and I because of this. Together, we are an unstoppable force. They should brace themselves, because once I find them, I'll make sure swift justice is delivered…'